The Undead

The Undead
The Undead (2016)
General information
origin	New Jersey (United States)
Genre (s)	Hardcore , horror punk
founding	1980
Website	theundead.com
Founding members
Vocals, guitar	Bobby Steele
bass	Chris "Jack" Natz (until 1982)
Drums	Patrick Blanck (until 1982, † 2001)
Current occupation
Vocals, guitar	Bobby Steele
bass	Ryan Switzer (since 2016)
Drums	Joe Stoker (since 2016)
Keyboard	Diane Steele (since 2014)
former members
guitar	Eddie van Migraine (1996)
guitar	Bryce Bernius (2000)
bass	Brian "Payne" Aliano (1982-1986)
bass	Susan "Olga de Volga" Smith (1983, † 2008)
bass	Inger Lorre (1984)
bass	John Fiore (1984)
bass	West Rocker (1987, 1988)
bass	Pete Lisa (1987)
bass	Tim Taylor (1988-1990)
bass	Rich Pressley (1990)
bass	Jim Joyce (1990-1992)
bass	Phil Portuesi (1993)
bass	Anthony D'Amico (1993-1995)
bass	Jay von Hack (1996)
bass	Will Harper (1997, 1998)
bass	Danny Duke (1998)
bass	Ian Lawrence (1998-2000)
bass	Joel Gausten (2006-2008)
bass	Paul Mauled (2012-2016)
Drums	Bobby Savage (1982-1983)
Drums	Steve "Grecco" Zing (1983–1986)
Drums	Roberto "Robo" Valverde (1983)
Drums	Vincent Signorelli (1984)
Drums	Adolfo Galella (1986)
Drums	Rich Matalian (1986)
Drums	Stacey Morris (1987)
Drums	Tony DiLeo (1988-1989)
Drums	Eddie Enzyme (1989–1990)
Drums	Steve Sloppy (1990)
Drums	Sebastian DeChamplain (1998)
Drums	Joey Poole (2000–2002, † 2020)
Drums	Joff Wilson (2006-2007)
Drums	Bill Gotta (2012-2015)
Drums	Boris (2015-2016)

The Undead (German: Die Untoten) are an American punk band from New Jersey . The band was rooted in New York's hardcore scene in its early days , but is now classified as part of horror punk . After numerous line-up changes and temporary dissolutions, the only original member is singer and guitarist Bobby Steele.

The band should not be confused with the British punk band of the same name, which released two singles and one album on Riot City Records between 1981 and 1984.

history

The band was formed in October 1980 by Steele (vocals, guitar), Chris "Jack" Natz (bass) and Patrick Blanck (drums) in New Milford . Steele was fired from his previous main band Misfits in July 1980 . Parallel to the Misfits, he had played with Natz in a band called The Skabs , which he reactivated with a new drummer and the new name The Undead . Like the Misfits, the band was initially part of the burgeoning New York Hardcore scene and played concerts in relevant hardcore clubs such as the A7 or the CBGB , and others. a. as opening act for the Misfits, the Dead Kennedys , the Stimulators or the Bad Brains . The first published phonogram, the production of which was partly financed by Glenn Danzig , was the EP Nine Toes Later in June 1982. The title of the phonogram is an allusion to the fact that singer Steele had a toe amputated the year before. A few months later, Natz and Blanck left the band. Due to the politicization of hardcore, the apolitical undead had clearly lost their importance within the New York scene. Steele moved to Los Angeles and continued the band there with Susan Smith of The Lewd and Roberto Valverde of Black Flag . Smith was injured a short time later in a motorcycle accident and fell out for a long time, after which Steele returned to New Jersey and Brian Aliano and Bobby Savage hired as musicians. In 1983 Savage was replaced by Steve Zing, and this lineup lasted four years, apart from short-term changes, which is atypically long for Undead standards. In December 1986, Aliano and Zing left the band. With frequently changing members, The Undead released three albums by 2002, two of them on Steele's own label Post Mortem. Between 2002 and 2006 the band took a break. In 2006, Steele put together a new lineup with Joff Wilson (who had previously played in Jim Carroll's band ) and Joel Gausten, which included some live performances, a cover of the album 12 Hits from Hell , which was never released by the Misfits, and a compilation album before Wilson 2007 and Gausten 2008 left the band again. Until 2012 it was quiet about the Undead, then Steele reappeared with Paul Mauled and Bill Gotta as fellow musicians. In 2014 his wife Diane joined the band as a keyboardist and singer, and in 2015, Gotta was replaced by Boris. Also in 2015 was The Morgue… The Merrier, the first album with their own material in 17 years. In 2016 Paul Mauled had to give up the regular bass game because of advanced psoriatic arthritis and was replaced by Ryan Switzer (The Disconnects).

After leaving, Chris Natz played for Undead u. a. at Cop Shoot Cop , Steve Zing at Samhain , Bryce Bernius at Genitorturers and Joel Gausten at Electric Frankenstein . Gausten has also appeared as a music journalist and author of several band biographies. Patrick Blanck died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2001 . Susan Smith passed away in 2008.

Style and reception

The Bay Area -Fanzine Flipside moved in a review of Never Say Die! -Album's musical parallels to the Misfits, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols and Bobby Steele was also visually reminiscent of Sid Vicious . The fanzine Maximumrocknroll , also released in San Francisco, compared early Undead songs with early Misfits songs. The Vice magazine called frontman Steele whether his long career with the undead as " elder statesman " of the punk scene of the East Village .

The music journalist Tony Rettman ( Village Voice , Vice.com ) dedicates a separate chapter to The Undead in his collection of interviews “New York Hardcore 1980–1990” and quotes fellow musicians from the band. Dee Dee Ramone bassist Johnny Carco remembers, for example, that the Undead had "great pop songs" and were the "best looking of all NYHC bands". False Prophets bassist Steve Wishnia noted that the quality of the early Undead resulted from the tension between the "straightforward pop songwriter" Steele and the "adventurous and anarchist" musicians Natz and Blanck.

Discography

• 1982: Nine Toes Later ( EP , Stiff Records )
• 1986: Never Say Die! ( SPV )
• 1989: Act Your Rage! (Post Mortem Records)
• 1991: Live Slayer (live album, Skyclad Records)
• 1998: Til Death (Post Mortem)
• 2007: 12 Hits from Hell (no label)
• 2015: The Morgue… The Merrier (Post Mortem)
• 2017: Having an Undead Summer (EP, Post Mortem)

Web links

• Official website
• The Undead at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Interview with Bobby Steele on James Greene Jr.'s blog.Retrieved February 7, 2016 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Maximumrocknroll # 115, December 1992. Retrieved February 10, 2016 . 
3. ↑ Steven Blush: American Hardcore. A tribal history . 2nd Edition. Feral House, Port Townsend 2010, ISBN 978-0-922915-71-2 , pp. 201 .
4. ↑ Joel Gausten's private website. Retrieved February 8, 2016 . 
5. ↑ Flipside # 52, Summer 1987, p. 39. Retrieved February 9, 2016 . 
6. ↑ Bobby Steele. Vice.com, accessed February 10, 2016 . 
7. ↑ Tony Rettman: New York Hardcore 1980–1990 . 2nd Edition. Bazillion Points, New York 2015, ISBN 978-1-935950-12-7 , pp. 65 ff .